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19 Best Small-Business Apps of March 2024

These apps can help you with point-of-sale, accounting, invoicing and payroll.
By Claire Tsosie, Alex Rosenberg, Lisa A. Anthony
Last updated on October 26, 2023
Edited byChristine Aebischer
Fact checked and reviewed

⏰ Estimated read time: 2 minutes

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The best small-business apps can help you run your company, startup or side hustle more efficiently, saving you time and money. Here are NerdWallet's top picks for accounting, point-of-sale, payroll and invoicing.

Our picks for

Point-of-sale systems

Point-of-sale systems allow you to ring up customers and complete sales, and the best ones can be customized to fit your business and industry. Restaurants, for example, need POS systems that allow for table management and coordination. Retail shops, meanwhile, require robust inventory management features in their retail point-of-sale systems.

Square POS

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on Square POS's secure website

Toast POS

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on Toast POS's secure website

Lightspeed Retail POS

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on Lightspeed Retail POS's secure website

Shopify Retail POS

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on Shopify POS's secure website

Clover POS

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on Clover POS's secure website

Our picks for

Accounting

With careful bookkeeping and good accounting software, you can track your business's revenue, profit margins and overall financial health. It can also help you answer important questions, like, "How much can I afford to spend on marketing this month?"

QuickBooks Online

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on QuickBooks Online's secure website

Learn more

on Xero's secure website

Wave Accounting

Zoho Books

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on Zoho Books' secure website

FreshBooks

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on FreshBooks' secure website

Our picks for

Payroll

Paying your employees is a must, and good payroll software can make it easier to manage and track wages, withholdings and tax filings. Many programs also give employees access to a portal so they can view their pay history.

Gusto Payroll

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on Gusto Payroll's secure website

QuickBooks Payroll

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on QuickBooks Payroll's secure website

OnPay Payroll

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on OnPay Payroll's secure website

Patriot Payroll

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on Patriot Payroll's secure website

RUN Powered by ADP

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on RUN Powered by ADP's secure website

Roll by ADP

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on Roll by ADP's secure website

Our picks for

Invoicing

Zoho Invoice

4.5
NerdWallet rating 
Learn more

on Zoho Invoice's secure website

Square Invoices

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on Square Invoices' secure website

Harvest

5.0
NerdWallet rating 

How to choose the right small-business apps for your needs

Point-of-sale

The best point-of-sale systems reach far beyond simply handling customer payments. Some systems are designed for specific industries, such as retail, online stores and restaurants. In addition to the cost of hardware and software fees, a processing fee for each customer transaction will typically be assessed. When comparing systems, pay attention to the following:
  • Hardware options including card readers, terminals, cash drawers and receipt printers.
  • Inventory tracking features.
  • Monthly software fees and payment processing fees.
  • Accepts swiped, tapped and keyed payments.
  • Offline and mobile payment processing options.
  • Live support offered 24/7.

Accounting

Accounting software, at a minimum, tracks the income and expenditures of a small business. The best accounting software has additional features that can make it easier to determine the financial health of your business. Look for the following features:
  • Easy to use.
  • Robust accounting reports.
  • Invoicing capabilities.
  • Integrations with third-party apps including payroll and point-of-sale systems.
  • Daily customer support.
  • Scalability.

Payroll

The best payroll software does more than help you pay your employees on time. Transparent pricing is a timesaver when comparing products and you’ll want to look for the following features:
  • Unlimited payroll runs.
  • Calculates, files and pays federal, state and local payroll taxes.
  • Provides employee access through a portal or mobile app.
  • Benefits administration.
  • Next-day or same-day direct deposit options.
  • Accounting integrations.

Invoicing

The best invoicing software goes beyond simply creating bills for your services. It can help you create quotes, track time and communicate with your customers. Before comparing products, consider the following:
  • How much do you want to pay each month?
  • What features are must-haves?
  • Does it need to be scalable?
  • Does it need to integrate with other software you use?
  • Are you interested in bundling with another app such as accounting?

Methodology

Here is more information on how NerdWallet evaluates different business software products and their apps:
Last updated on October 26, 2023
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